Former Open champion Paul Lawrie made the perfect start to the Scottish PGA Championship by holing his first shot of the tournament. It was the second ace of his professional career and helped to an an opening 67, five under par, three shots adrift of first round leader Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin who set a new course record with a superb 64.
Starting at the tenth on the Monarchs Course at Gleneagles, Lawrie hit a glorious seven iron on the 208 yard hole, the ball pitching short of the pin and rolling in for the second ace of his professional career.
“It pitched just on top of the slope and ran in,” he said afterwards. “There was about maybe 15 spectators left side of the green. But I didn’t know it was in until I got down there. As we approached the green we could only see two balls but Sam (Torrance) said check the hole and there is was. A nice start.”
Lawrie went on the pick up another four birdies with just one dropped shot in his bid to add this title to the closed title he won at Cardross in 1992.
“It was a nice round today,” he added. “I played very, very well. Only made a couple of mistakes – the drive on the second and three putted the ninth. I had a few chances but the wind was blowing so even when you are ten or 12 feet away it is difficult to hole putts.”
Lawrie has been dogged by injury and putting problems this season but had no such problems in the opening round. A lesson from coach Adam Hunter seems to have sorted out his putting while he continues to work on his fitness with the help of fitness instructor Brian Ewing from Dundee University.
Lawrie’s round was however surpassed by the exploits of Raphael Jacquelin who smashed the course record of 66 with an eight birdie blitz without a single dropped shot. It was the 26-year-old’s lowest round on Tour and comes on the back of a run of eight consecutive missed cuts since finishing joint 15th in the Volvo PGA Championship. His round beats by one the 65 he put together in the final round at Wentworth.
“The putting was very good today,” he said. “ I had a good feeling with the putting on the first hole and tried to keep the feeling for the whole round.”
Jacquelin, who harboured dreams of becoming a professional footballer before being forced to reconsider after injuring his knees at the age of 13, has struggled with concentration since the Volvo PGA Championship but has had his game turned around after three days with coach Patrice Amadieu.
“I made my 65 in the last round and after that I was confident with my long game and wasn’t concentrating at all,” he added. “I felt it was so easy to hit the ball straight and it is never easy.”
And in the last group, as the sun was setting over the magnificent Monarch’s Course, 24-year-old Benn Barham, the second reserve who only discovered he was playing 90 minutes before he was due to tee off, came in with a 65, seven under par, to lie just one shot off the lead. The highlight of his round was a holed three wood from 220 yards, cut round a tree into the wind for an eagle two on the 461 yards fifth hole. Added to that were six birdies and just one bogey.
Barham was supposed to be attending the wedding of his close friend Paul Stewart, the pro at the London Club, tomorrow but flew up to Gleneagles hoping to get a start. Arriving at the course at 6.45am he had to wait until 12.45 before hearing he was in the field and despite hitting buckets of balls on the range he teed off having never seen the course.
“Obviously I liked it today,” he said. “I’ve had plenty of practice but didn’t expect that. I played quite well last week in Norway but the last round was cancelled. Today I holed a few putts and a three wood which helps!”
